The company has committed to achieve Zero Waste through employing recycling and conversion technologies across its operations. At its aluminium operations in Lanjigarh, the company has commissioned a red mud filtration unit, a first of its kind in the Alumina industry. The installation will have advantages like savings in caustic consumption by 10-15 kg per tonne of alumina, minimizing land requirement by 50-60%, & doing away with wet red mud storage, thereby eliminating environmental hazards.

At Sesa Goa Iron Ore, the company has focused on a phased reclamation of the Sanquelim mines, taking into consideration environmental and community infrastructure. With Technical expertise and guidance from domain experts such as Goa University and state departments, a Sanquelim Mine Management Plan was created and implemented.

Reclamation techniques included afforestation, retaining some portions of mine pits as water bodies to harvest rain water, and use of existing building infrastructure. The mine work shop was converted into a Technical school imparting education to local youth, while the residential quarters were converted into the Sesa Football Academy to cater to the needs of the local community.

In line with its commitment to come up with greener solutions for infrastructure development, Vedanta dedicated the first ‘Green Road’ to Jharsuguda last year. The construction of this road, developed using fly ash, is in line with Vedanta’s ‘Waste to Wealth’ initiative and is the 1st village road of Odisha which is constructed utilizing fly ash as a prime component.

The length of the road is 2.30 kms and 13,000 MT of fly ash was utilized in its construction. A result of an industry-institution interface, the road was designed in consultation with IIT, Bhubaneswar.

Vedanta is also committed to addressing the issue of climate change. Employing a dual strategy of improving process efficiencies and diversifying its energy portfolio, the company reports its GHG emissions in keeping with global standards laid down by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD, World Resources Institute (WRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

Assessment Tool (IBAT) to screen for risk, followed by site-specific assessments to identify sensitive habitats, important bird areas and key biodiversity hot spots. The results of risk screening and assessments are applied to develop Biodiversity Management Plans (BMPs) for all the main sites. Currently, all of the company’s sites are ISO 14001 certified.

To mark the occasion of World Environment Duty, Vedanta organized mass plantation drives today across its operations in India. Aligning with the World Environment Day (WED) 2017 theme of ‘Connecting People with Nature’, thousands of saplings were planted across the country.

In Jharsuguda, Vedanta launched the “Green Jharsuguda” campaign. In a series of events spread over 15 days, the company launched a massive plantation program, distributing 6,500 saplings among its partner communities. At its Cairn Oil & Gas locations, the company conducted several activities to raise awareness, participate and celebrate the occasion. Activities included quizzes, photo and poster contests, nature walks and film screenings.

At Lanjigarh, employees participated in a sapling plantation programme, in addition to initiatives promoting the theme ‘Connecting People to Nature’. Hindustan Zinc Limited, in collaboration with Energy Efficient Services Limited (EESL), marked the occasion by setting up an UJALA Scheme stall, providing 353 LED bulbs, 33 Tube-lights & 18 energy efficient fans at subsidized rates to employees, contractors, and community members at its Debari operations.

Vedanta Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-listed company. Governance and Sustainable Development are at the core of Vedanta’s strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company is conferred with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) ‘Sustainable Plus Platinum label’, ranking among the top 10 most sustainable companies in India. Read: Vedanta Sustainable Development Report 2016